The present invention relates generally to dispensing apparata that are used to dispense a solution or product from a storage container by the use of a hand-held device connected with or receiving the storage container in some fashion. More specifically, the present invention relates to the dispensing of a foam product, such as a herbicide or weed killer, from a foamer container that is connected at a distal end of an elongated hand-held carrier. A telescoping configuration, movable in an axial or longitudinal direction, is used to activate release of the foam product by means of a movable plunger nozzle.
With regard to the broad category of devices that is likely the closest to the present invention, this category would include, as one example, devices where the herbicide or other solution or product is contained in some interior cavity or interior container and is dispensed from the device via a passageway connecting to the interior cavity. This broad category of device also includes those structures and apparata where the herbicide or other solution or product is provided as part of some external package, such as an aerosol can. Another example of this broad category of device includes those apparata that incorporate a telescoping plunger such that the herbicide or other solution or product is dispensed from within a hollow tube.
Although there are believed to be several examples of devices corresponding to each of the three species of this broad category, as described above, none of these devices or species combine the use of an external container and the use of a telescoping plunger mechanism to activate the release of the product stored within the container. By positioning the product container external to the hand-held plunger stick, greater design versatility is provided. It is also easier to accommodate a greater variety of product containers. A further benefit of the present invention is the ability to include a child-resistant feature; important when dispensing a herbicide. While the telescoping plunger mechanism is a simple and efficient design, by linking it to the product container, design modifications are easier to incorporate and it is easier to repair and/or replace component parts. These features of the present invention will be understood from the description of the preferred embodiment.
Additional features of the present invention include the use of a foamer for the product container with a “suck back” feature, and the ability to make the product container (with a pump mechanism) disposable. All of these features are believed to be novel and unobvious in the context of the present invention.